In a cyclic mining operation, a spoil-depositing system, or the like it is standard to operate with a very long longitudinally extending main conveyor and a somewhat shorter transverse conveyor. The transverse conveyor has one end at a face or deposition location and an opposite end above or below a loop of the upper stretch of the main conveyor. A carriage carries the transverse conveyor and loops the belt of the main conveyor so that material can either be picked up by the transverse conveyor and dumped on the main conveyor or can be dumped by the main conveyor onto the transverse conveyor which in turn deposits it along a pile.
Whether the system is used to load or unload the bulk material, typically ore, it is necessary to periodically displace it transversely through a turnover distance which is a predetermined transverse distance which can be 30 m to 50 m, so that a new cut can be taken from a face or a new row can be formed on the pile. This is typically done as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,722 by longitudinally displacing along the main conveyor a carriage that lifts the conveyor, displaces it transversely, and sets it down.
In other known systems seen for example in German 3,040,795 of Kolbl and 3,513,317 of Hashimoto the conveyor must be stopped when it is shifted. Other systems seen in German 3,409,297 of Faur et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,840 of Hanson suggest other solutions, but none proposes an arrangement that does not require the conveyor to be shut down for an extensive time to allow for its transverse shifting. Most are bulky and greatly decrease the overall efficiency of the bulk-conveying operation.